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Omakase, Japanese for お任せ, meaning ‘I entrust to you’.

Trust the chef in your meal and you will be surprised at their creativity in the dishes. The intriguing thing about Omakase is that you don’t know exactly what you will be getting. So expect a Omakase meal customised according to the season of the time and to your dietary restrictions, if any.

Honestly, having an Omakase meal in Singapore is just downright expensive. Especially restaurants with big names and widely-acclaimed sushi chefs, you’ll probably burn half your salary away in just one dinner. And if you were to bring a date along, damn, that’s double the price.

To ease on our wallets, I have collated a list of Singapore restaurants offering Omakase at really reasonable prices but without compromising on the quality of the food. Some are even exceptional. Some are not your usual typical Japanese restaurant but a bar. Others offering as low as $18 or come from a fine dining restaurant.

1. Osaka Kitchen

Osaka Kitchen is a tiny restaurant located in Japan Food Town at Level 4 of Wisma Atria. The limited space only accommodates around 30-odd pax, and when I entered on a Tuesday night, most tables were with reservation tags. Thus, it is highly recommended to reserve a table before you arrive to avoid disappointment.

What is great about Osaka Kitchen is that their 9-course Omakase set comes at an affordable price of $60 and $80.

The difference is that the $80 meal comes with grilled scallops and premium Ohmi Wagyu Dice Steak. At Grade A4, it has the melt-in-the-mouth tenderness that would leave you craving for more.

Osaka Kitchen also has a pretty decent Ala Carte menu featuring small plates and other teppanyaki dishes, of course. So what are you waiting for?

2. Ryo Sushi

The new kid in town offering Omakase at CRAZY prices. Starting from $18, you get a 10-course meal with Edamame as starter, seven types of assorted sushi, a hand-roll and a bowl of soup.

The best deal is that the sushi are downright fresh with just the right fish to rice ratio. You get more quality items such as the ever-popular sea urchin and Truffle Onsen Egg in the other price offering. If you want to try dishes from other Omakase set, Ryo Sushi also has a Ala Carte menu that you can order from.

Currently, Ryo Sushi is working on extending their opening hours to 24 hours. Imagine indulging in Omakase at wee hours? That must be one-of-a-kind in Singapore. We simply wish for the fast arrival of that day.

Do note that the $18 Omakase is limited to 18 portions daily only. So Mai Tu Liao!

Can’t find an affordable and chic-looking restaurant for that perfect night-out with your date? We got this covered. At $68, you get a 12-course Omakase which is simply a steal.

Serving up Asian-inspired Japanese cuisine, you will get to savour interesting food combinations such as the Lobster Bisque with Tom Yum, Sea Urchin Don and the expensive bluefin tuna, Otoro. The Omakase menu is subject to changes, almost on a weekly basis, thus be surprised at what you will be having each time you come.

Round up the evening with the amazing craft cocktails. As the restaurant-bar seats only 24 guest and faces the cocktail section, this is where you get occasional swoosh and boom of fire-playing moments by the bartenders as they put their skills to the cocktail-making process.

4. Takujo Japanese Fine Dining

The word ‘fine dining’ may turn off the budget conscious, but Takujo certainly makes it to the list of offering affordable and quality Omakase. Located in Emporium Shokuhin, at level one of Marina Square, Takujo’s menu presents a plethora of fine Japanese cuisine and four Omakase dinner options starting from $58 for a 7-course meal.

5. Bistro Du Le Pin

At $60 for 8 courses, you get to savour comforting Japanese-Italian foods such as the Burrata Cheese, Scallop, Hiroshima Oysters, Crab Cakes and a choice of Black Cod or Beef for main course. Pair with some sake or wine, and there is no place as chill as this.

As the name suggests, Cho Omakase is a Omakase-only restaurant opened for lunch and dinner. There are four different pricing at which lunch is priced as low as $50 and dinner for $80 onwards.

The usual suspects such as the appetiser, sushi and sashimi will make their appearance in the menu. If you could indulge in a bit more, go for the more luxurious sets that include higher-end ingredient like the Wagyu and Foie Gras.

Food is exquisitely plated using the freshest produce. With a homely service and a list of sake to choose from, Cho Omakase is the best place to cater to diners seeking budget with quality.

Specialising in sashimi and donburi, Fukusen restaurant sure knows how to spoil diners with their large variety of dishes. To ensure the freshness in the food they deliver, the seafood are flown in directly from Japan twice a week.

The execution of each course is simple yet refined. Dining at Fukusen Restaurant will leave you feeling Zen from the tranquillity of the meal.

Besides Omakase, they also offer very valuable lunch sets and their Ala Carte signatures include the Uni donburi ($38) which will make uni-lovers swoon at the sight of it.

8. Teppei Japanese Restaurant

Probably one of the hardest restaurant to make a reservation in Singapore. The rationale? Creativity, quality and freshness.

What keeps people going back to Teppei is that the experience will make your money well-worth. Here, the chef are entrusted the task to formulate the Omakase menu that changes periodically, and they deliver the best.

Teppei’s versatility and innovation in the dishes has also extended to the creation of a Sashimi Cake, priced at $40 for 20cm, $60 for 30cm and $100 for 40cm. Think a mountain of sashimi during a birthday celebration and that will make your birthday boy/girl smile from ear to ear.

East-landers would rejoice as Mikawa is situated at Changi Business Park and just a short distance from Expo MRT. It has a dinner Omakase running at $80 that comes with a delectable sashimi platter as part of the course amongst other food.

Their Ala Carte menu is comprehensive as well with items such as Teppanyaki, Agemono, Jyu-box, and so on. They also have a seasonal menu stuck to the wall, showcasing the current best produce.

Now, there is no need to rush all the way to town for Omakase. At least for Mikawa, it could be right at someone else’s doorstep.

11. Bincho at Hua Bee

Helmed by Chef Asai Masashi, Bincho at Hua Bee is best known as a Yakitori restaurant-bar serving grilled items and skewers. They have an off-the-menu Omakase in which reservation has to be made to indicate your interest in having the Omakase.

Then the chef will prepare the ingredients and dishes accordingly, so rest assured that you will definitely be fed well and in good hands for the night.

Omakase starts at $80. During the reservation, you may state your budget. If not, be adventurous and let the chef decide the what’s best on that night for you.

Bincho at Hua Bee also has three different set courses to choose from on its menu: 5-course Bincho Express Set ($68) with a focus on Yakitori, 7-course Tori Zukushi Set ($90) revolving around chicken and a 7-course Danjiri Set ($220) centered on premium items.